The Second Best School Shooting, Pleasance Courtyard.

Best friends but total opposites, Parker and Ava find themselves in the terrifying position of witnessing a school shooting, on the same day that another school shooting took place in the same city, resulting in fifteen deaths. In Parker and Ava’s shooting, the shooter just hit the ceiling and no one died; thus, their experience goes completely unreported, while the second event goes viral and wins survivor Margo over a hundred thousand Insta likes. Ava takes matters into her own hands, desperate to be involved in the fight against guns. Parker, however, is more concerned about preparing for her physics test – she has to work hard to scrape her grades, whereas academic excellence comes easily to Ava. But people cope with the stress of such events differently. When Ava goes a bit too far to make her point, will she endanger their friendship forever? A fascinating subject, wittily written by Alice Stanley Jr and superbly acted by Rachael DeBoer and Shaylaren Hilton, The Second Best School Shooting examines not only the terrifying influence of guns in America, but the nature of friendship, coping strategies, the effect of social media, what constitutes a victim, and what happens when you allow your impulsive nature to go just that little bit too far. Very thought-provoking, but also very funny, you’ll be mulling over this play for hours. 5 stars.

Patient 13, Zoo Playground.

Gail is an independent woman living her own life in New York City – a Midwesterner who moved east to pursue the Arts – and why not? But one day she gets the news that no one wants to hear. Those cells – they might be cancerous… Gail Thomas tells her own story of diagnoses, treatments, and a sequence of different doctors. Why Patient 13? Because she enrolled in a clinical trial for people post-cancer surgery who show signs of depression. She might get the drug, or she might get the placebo. The drug, however, is magic mushrooms; so she’s praying not to get the placebo. Gail is a master storyteller who keeps you enthralled and engaged from the very start. This personal tale is beautifully structured and written, so that you can truly imagine every scenario and every character that she encounters. A remarkable performance. 5 stars.

With the Possible Exception of Abraham Lincoln, Greenside @ George Street.

With the 2020 Presidential Election teetering on the balance, a desperate, frustrated, and furious Trump awaits the results from all the States – and it’s not looking good. Shortly before dawn, a mysterious stranger arrives with some much-needed KFC and appears to have a calming effect on the Republican leader. They talk of sport, particularly wrestling, in which both Trump and the stranger have an interest, although they approach the sport from very different angles. As time progresses, we realise that the stranger is the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who might be the only person to have done more for Black Americans than Donald Trump – according to a quote from Donald Trump himself. Infuriated beyond endurance, the usually calm Lincoln challenges Trump to a bout, but who would win? And what might be the consequence if I never lose Trump were to lose? David Chocran’s imaginative political satire hits the spot with its fantasy central idea, and the performances by Jason Nemor Harden as Lincoln and Mark Coleman as Trump are very impressive. However, the play does lose its way somewhat, getting a little bogged down at times – quite possibly because there’s only ever so much Trump that one pair of ears can stand. Great idea that nearly works. 3 stars.

The Misfortunes of a Spy and Her Mystic, Greenside @ George Street.

When is a spy not a spy? When she is a friend, perhaps? Professional/client relationships can merge into something more personal, when Eve is required to befriend Meda as part of a mental health protection programme. At first Eve plays her usual professional role, feeding back information to the boss as she is required. But as she gets further into the mystical and spiritual world of Meda, there’s a danger she will go in too deep. Joy Donze’s fascinating play exposes the murky line between friend, client and lover, and boasts three excellent performances from Dede Lovejoy, Akaina Ghosh and Joy Donze herself. Engrossing, provocative, and surprisingly believable. 4 stars.

Betsy and Patty Find Out, Bedlam Theatre.

Seven docile cows stand obediently in line. They don’t know why – but as Patty points out, she’s never stood in a line that didn’t have a treat at the end before, so why would this line be any different? An eighth cow comes along – the sassy, rebellious Betsy, stomping around, getting in the way. Then she spots Patty and they’re both relieved they have someone to talk to. Once they get going, you can’t stop them from chewing the cud together. They discuss confidence issues, the benefits of safety versus adventure, why the bulls seem to have it all their own way, and how come no one knows what’s inside that big building. Meanwhile, every so often, one cow willingly gets called into the building to be stunned and then killed; but the other cows are none the wiser. Surely there must be a way out – Betsy’s up for starting a rebellion and even Patty is willing to join them. Then comes the voice Next… and one of the last two cows goes off to their fate. Can the last one somehow survive? Aaron Francis’ remarkably mooving (sorry) play depicts the benefits of disobedience, what it takes to be accepted by the crowd, and why you should never join a queue if you don’t know what’s at the other end. Smartly written, with a wicked sense of humour and a sad feeling of inevitability, our two bovine heroines are given terrific characterisations by Jennifer DeRosa and Carrie Keranen, and if this doesn’t convince you to go vegetarian, nothing will. 4 stars.

Chelsea Birkby: Is in Full Control the Entire Time, Pleasance Courtyard.

Chelsea Birkby is in Full Control the Entire Time, announces the title of her new show, whereas, actually, it’s not Chelsea who wants to dominate your thoughts, but Cheche, her more wicked alter ego whose name resulted from a data entry error and has nothing to do with the London Zoo Panda. On the journey to take control, we encounter the self-help books of Tony Robbins, a scarily perceptive magician, and the steps Chelsea has taken to protect her hairstylist. She cuts a very likeable persona on stage, and has a strong, confident delivery with excellent original material. And she’s qualified in PowerPoint! Great crowd work, and very funny. 4 stars.

Gutter, Underbelly Bristo Square.

Hitting the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time is Gutter, London’s sell-out underground comedy night, presented in the bouffon clown tradition, with a troupe of three clowns who ooze, grotesquely, out of a putrid skip (well, it’s not exactly putrid, but the bouffons are). The framework of the show is that our bouffons introduce us to three acts which they intersperse with clowning sequences. The bouffon element of the show is superb – creepy, unsettling, somewhat disgusting and always funny, and the three troupers, led by Gutter mastermind Tom Greaves, are terrific. But the strength of a show like this will always be judged on the quality of the guests, and in the performance we saw, most of them didn’t really do the rest of the show justice – although I did enjoy Luke Rollason’s routine about the Royal British Legion charity cruise. 3 stars.